


LightningClan's Distress

by orphan_account



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Angst, Cats, Drama, Fluff, Gen, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-13
Updated: 2013-10-23
Packaged: 2019-02-17 01:16:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13066101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: With most of their cats ill in leaf-bare, LightningClan is struggling to survive. But then, newcomers arrive...





	1. Prologue

The silver moon rose high up in the sky. Down below, a slim white cat sat on the snow surrounding the river. Her white pelt shone silver under the moonlight as she stared at the twinkling stars reflected in the water below.

"Froststar?" came a gentle voice.

The white she-cat turned to see a golden tabby tom walk over to join her. "What is the matter, Duskwatcher?" she murmured.

The golden tom bowed his head. "Froststar, it seems that Bluepaw is sick with whitecough. The kits are coughing as well as sneezing in the nursery. We can't survive leaf-bare like this! What will become of LightningClan?"

Froststar met the medicine cat's gaze evenly. "LightningClan will survive. We'll find a way somehow. Even though we have never before had so few apprentices, the Clan will go on."

"Of course, Froststar," answered Duskwatcher tiredly.

Both cats turned to watch the moon, rising higher and higher as another day of cold and hunger drew near.


	2. Strange Incident

It was so dark and confusing. Everywhere she ran, faceless cats appeared, all wailing in agony. The long-haired girl couldn't make out what they were saying. Of course. They were cats.

But, still, it was a dream. Shouldn't she be able to understand these cats? And help them, somehow.

Ivy…..

Huh? Someone was calling her name. Could it be the cats?

Ivy… Ivy!

Now that Ivy thought about it, the voice sounded familiar.

"Ivy! Wake up! How long are you going to sleep for?"

"S-sis!" Ivy jolted awake. Her breathing slowed down as she took in her surroundings. It was all just a dream. Just a dream. Those cats couldn't possibly hurt her.

Her sister's face slowly came into focus. Ivy's eyes slowly adjusted to the harsh light after her panic in the dream-forest.

"Good morning, Hazel," she murmured, still slightly sleepy.

"Good morning? It's 12pm on the dot!" even though Hazel tried to sound harsh, Ivy noticed a trace of laughter in her voice.

Ivy sat up straight, suddenly wide awake. "Oh no! What about school?"

Hazel gave her a strange look. "It's Sunday."

Oh. Ivy's cheeks turned red with embarrassment.

"Hazel!" a voice came from downstairs. "Is Ivy awake yet?"

Ivy would recognize that voice anywhere.

"Coming, bro!" she yelled. Flinging off her blanket, Ivy raced downstairs.

Her brother looked at her with amusement in his eyes as she appeared at the top of the stairs. "Hi, Ivy. Sleep well?"

"Shut up, Lionel," she muttered, and sat down on one of the dining chairs to eat her breakfast-no, wait, her lunch.

"It was a yummy breakfast today," Lionel commented as Ivy ate her lunch hungrily. "Pancakes with maple syrup."

Ivy ignored him. "Hazel, where's Mum and Dad?"

Hazel looked up from the magazine she was reading. "They're out. But Daisy and Jason stayed behind to look after you."

"Huh. I don't need looking after. I'm a full thirteen years of age!"

"Well, you're still the youngest." The new voice came from the garden. Ivy turned to see Jason walk into the living room, closely followed by her oldest sister, Daisy. I wonder how Mom and Dad manage with five kids sometimes, she reflected.

"I'm bored," yawned Daisy. "Why don't we go into the garden and explore?" Ivy's family had only recently moved into this new house. It had a humongous garden, large enough to not be able to explore it in a day.

"Sis. We explored it yesterday. Why can't we do something else?" grumbled Lionel.

"I want to explore it deeper," replied Daisy, and strode out the back door arrogantly.

"Just cuz' you're the oldest doesn't mean we have to follow you all the time, Daisy!" complained Lionel as he followed his sister out the door. Jason and Hazel followed silently, leaving Ivy to finish her lunch.

"I always get left behind," she grumbled. Instead of swallowing the last of her lunch, she stood up and followed her siblings out to the garden, not caring that she was still in her dressing gown.

Outside, she heard the voices of her siblings as they talked.

"Hey, look, this clump of grass is tougher than the other parts."

Ivy raced to join them.

"Let's look in it."

A rustling noise, then: "What's this?"

Ivy approached in time to see Jason holding up a small black box with a puzzled look on his face. Ivy and her other siblings crowded around him, gazing at it quizzically.

"Look, there's a label on that thing," Lionel pointed out, his irritation at being bossed around now completely gone. "Read it, Jason."

Jason read it. "'The thumb drive inside contains an important document. Learn the secrets to what is living inside your computer.' "

"'Living inside your computer?' Complete and utter rubbish," muttered Hazel indignantly. "Someone's obviously trying to pull a prank on us!"

"Maybe, maybe not," murmured Ivy. All of her siblings turned to look at her.

"Oh, you're so naïve, Ivy! You don't know how to tell a prank apart from a real thing, do you?" taunted Lionel.

Unexpectedly, Daisy rose to defend her. "And why should it be a prank? Why don't we plug this thumb drive into our computer? What's the worst it could do?"

"Oh, maybe infest our computer with viruses and make it unusable?" Hazel glared at Daisy. "You're seventeen! How could you not know these things?"

Ivy thought that her siblings were about to fight until Jason rose up his hands in a placating gesture. "Woah, guys. Cool it. Why don't we do what Daisy says, but plug it into our old computer, which is basically infested with bugs anyway?"

At this, both Lionel and Hazel nodded agreement, but still looked like they wanted to slice Daisy open with a kitchen knife. Jason, ignoring both of them, opened the box and took out an old, rusty thing, almost unrecognizable as a thumb drive.

.

Lionel trailed aimlessly behind his siblings as they walked back to their house. He could feel his anger dissipating, but a trace of it was still there. How could Ivy be so stupid? Didn't she know the dangers of Trojans and viruses?

Inside, Ivy paused and looked out the gate, her eyes becoming wide amber depths. "Is that thumb drive related to those cats?" she asked herself softly, and Lionel had to strain to hear. What cats? Was Ivy daydreaming again?

Upstairs, Lionel heard Hazel's impatient call. "Lionel! Are you coming or not? We don't need to wait for you, you know!"

"Coming, coming!" he replied hastily and tapped Ivy on the shoulder. "Come on, they're waiting for us."

Ivy blinked as if she had just emerged from a dream. "What? Oh. Sorry!" she murmured as she followed Lionel upstairs. He sighed softly as he emerged at Jason's bedroom, where the old computer was.

"Um, okay, so how do we work this thing?" muttered Daisy. "The computer's taking forever to boot up!"

"Be patient," sighed Jason as he tapped his foot on the floor. "It's loading now… Okay, it's started up. We can sign in now."

Jason typed in his username and password.

"Argh! Now it's preparing the desktop. This might take a while." he tapped his fingers impatiently on the wooden table.

Five minutes later, a triumphant "Finally!" was heard.

Lionel, Daisy, Hazel and Ivy instantly leapt to their feet and looked in anticipation at the screen.

"Lionel, could you plug that thumb drive in?" Jason queried.

Lionel nodded and plugged it in, anticipation swarming over him like a hive of bees.

Instantly, the screen went black.

"Aha! I told you it was a bug!" cried Hazel triumphantly.

Before she had even finished speaking, a storm of numbers spilled out of the computer, circling around Jason's entire bedroom. All five teenagers could feel a strange sucking sensation, dragging them towards somewhere. Fear dropped like a cold stone in Lionel's belly.

"Where's it coming from? What happened?!" he screamed, kicking his legs vainly to try to resist the powerful sensation rippling over him.

"I have no idea!" screamed Ivy.

"We should never have plugged it in!" shrieked Hazel, managing a weak glare at Daisy, before thrusting her arms and legs frantically towards the opposite direction of the sucking sensation. "It's all your fault, Daisy! If you never suggested for us to go out and explore, we would never be stuck in this mess!"

Daisy's eyes stretched wide and her mouth opened in a gape of disbelief. "My fault? Who knew it was there in the first place?!"

"Who cares? It doesn't matter now!" shouted Jason over the commotion. "All I want now is to get out alive!"

With a loud whoosh, all five children were suddenly sucked into something. At last, the forceful pulling sensation stopped. Zeroes and ones were all that made up their surroundings, some of them spinning and twinkling in an almost star-like manner.

"Where are we?" Lionel demanded, sitting up straight.

His voice was immediately drowned out by another loud, robotic voice.

"Scanning completed," The hidden machine declared.

"What?" Lionel looked around in search of the voice's source.

Instead of finding the machine, he saw a huge green screen with pictures of five different cats. He saw a distinct flash of ginger, black, brown and white before he was pulled somewhere again, somewhere far, far away from home.

Goodbye, Mom and Dad. He thought, sadness welling inside him like a wave. I'll probably never see you again.

Lionel could see something white rising up to meet him. It engulfed him completely, so thick that he was not able to see anything outside.

The next thing he knew, he felt some part of his body peeling off. It wasn't painful, but it was itchy. As he raised one arm to scratch his shoulder, he saw that it was not an arm, but in fact, a golden limb.

What had happened to him? Fear coming off him in waves, he took a good look at his arms and legs and found that, instead of feet and hands, he had paws.

Looking back over his shoulder, he saw that his clothing had disappeared entirely, and out of his back sprung soft, fluffy ginger fur.

The white thing tore, and Lionel could see his surroundings again.

To his left, he saw a tortoiseshell she-cat, and a ginger tom.

The tortoiseshell she-cat's eyes widened as she asked, "What just happened?"

Just managing to stifle a gasp of surprise, Lionel stared at the tortoiseshell for a while before whispering, "Ivy?"

The tortoiseshell also looked bewildered as she stared at him. "Lionel? You became a cat too?"

"A cat?" Lionel looked down at his legs again. Of course. The furry legs and tail, and the colour of his fur… he had turned into a cat.

The other ginger tom looked at him too. "Lionel…I should have recognized you earlier," he added with a wink, despite the situation.

"Lionel! Ivy! Jason!" the cries came from Lionel's right. He turned from where his body was floating in the middle of nowhere. "Daisy and Hazel?" he asked, looking at each she- cat in turn.

Just then, the black and green surroundings came into an end and all five cats dropped to the ground. Lionel could see that the ground had a thick layer of snow on top.

"Oof!" squawked Daisy, the white she-cat, as she plunged down into the snow.

The brown she-cat that was Hazel was luckier. She fell into a bush, scattering snow everywhere, closely followed by Lionel.

Both of them padded up to Daisy. "You look like you've been dragged through a field of thorns!" purred Hazel, her eyes glittering with amusement.

Daisy hissed playfully and sprung at her, her earlier fear forgotten.

From the bush where Lionel had landed, he heard two separate gasps as two bodies came crashing down. He turned around and raced towards his two remaining siblings. "You guys okay?"

Ivy blinked at him. "I'm fine."

She hurried to scramble off Jason's lithe ginger body. "Sorry, bro," she mewed.

Jason rose and stretched. "It's 'kay." He murmured. The sun rays turned his ginger pelt to gold, and as Lionel looked closely, he could see patched of darker ginger along Jason's tail and paws.

"Where are we?" wondered Lionel.

"You're on LightningClan territory," snarled a menacing voice. All five cats looked up to find a black tom with a stumpy tail glowering at them. Behind him, there was a light grey tabby and a gray she-cat.

"And I'm afraid," he added, "that you are now our prisoners."


	3. Ceremonies

Daisy leapt back, her fur bristling. Claws slid out instinctively from her soft white paws.

Who were these cats?

"Blackbird," warned the gray tabby. "These cats are harmless. They didn't know they were in our territory. Do we need to take them prisoner? And, besides, we don't have the strength to fight them," her voice dropped to a low whisper.

Daisy wasn't sure she was meant to hear the last line. Fight them? None of the five cats knew how to fight, not as a cat. Lionel had been a good martial artist and had even represented his school in various championships. However, none of that punching and kicking would be any use to him now, with his long legs shortened to the stocky, little legs of a little kitten.

"All five of you look like you are around seven moons old," added the she-cat, whirling around to face them. "Would you like to come with us and train as apprentices instead of prisoners?" Her eyes hardened as she said the last word and glared at Blackbird. The black tom said nothing more, but spat in the she-cat's direction. Unsheathing his claws, he dug them deep into the snowy ground.

The other gray she-cat stood up abruptly, her jet-black paws easily visible among the white blanket which covered the forest that was snow. "But… Lightstripe! We don't know who these cats are or where they come from! Can we trust them?" she stared accusingly at Daisy and her siblings.

Daisy felt the fur on her neck rise again. Couldn't she at least be a little more considerate as to lower her voice?

Lightstripe silenced the gray she-cat with a wave of her tail. "Well, Froststar made me patrol leader, and as the patrol leader, I say they're coming with us. If these cats stay outside in this cold weather, they'll probably fall sick. Do you want it to be known that LightningClan sent cats to their death?"

The she-cat looked unconvinced, but she did not protest.

Lightstripe's words had made Daisy realize she was indeed freezing. Her fur was still fluffed out from the cold and she felt a shiver run down her spine.

Before Daisy could say anything, Blackbird spoke up. "I agree with Silentstrike. What if we take them in, and later betray us?"

It was time, Daisy decided, to speak up.

"Hey," she called out to the three cats, "we have ears, you know. We can hear everything you're saying. If you want to discuss about any possible betrayals we'll make to your LightningClan, which we won't, can you keep your voice down?"

Blackbird let out a hiss and padded away with his tail up in the air. Silentstrike flattened her ears in embarrassment, unsure of what to say. Lightstripe nodded. "Okay, these cats have just promised they won't betray our Clan. We can let them be our apprentices. What are your names? No, wait, you can tell Froststar at your naming ceremony. I'll show you the way to our camp."

If Lightstripe felt uncomfortable around Daisy and her siblings, she didn't show it. She nosed Daisy gently, encouraging her forward. Hazel padded along beside the grey she-cat. Lionel let out a quiet hiss, only to be silenced by Jason, flicking his dark ginger tail across Lionel's open jaws. The ginger tom clearly didn't like to be led anywhere. Jason nudged Lionel forward, and at last he relented and followed Blackbird. Ivy was walking alongside Silentstrike, chatting with her excitedly.

All five half-grown cats looked around in wonder at the snowy landscape around them. Daisy's white pelt blended in with the snowy background perfectly. Only her green eyes revealed that she wasn't part of the snow.

"It's so beautiful!" Daisy said aloud.

Silentstrike looked back, and there was a glimmer of sadness in her eyes. "The snow's beautiful, but it makes prey harder to catch. The whole Clan is starving, and some of the cats are dying."

For the first time, Daisy realized that the three cats guiding them back to the Clan were skinny, with all their ribs showing. Their fur was matted and dull, as if they had stopped grooming their pelt since winter started in this strange place.

"Catch prey?" came Hazel's stunned meow.

Blackbird whipped around to glare at her. "Of course. How do you think we catch food around here? Or do you expect us to starve because we're too lazy to catch prey?"

"What kinds of prey do you catch?" piped up Jason, his voice curious. "Do you catch fish? I thought wild cats like to eat fish."

"Fish? I'd rather die than catch fish. Who wants to get wet paws?" replied Lightstripe humorously.

Ivy stifled a purr of amusement and Jason let out a murmur of agreement. Back when all five siblings were still humans, Jason had never been keen on swimming.

The group of cats made their way among the snowy path, their paws making small holes in the snow. Daisy was too caught up in gazing around at the scenery to realize Lightstripe, the cat leading the group, had stopped.

A large clearing was in front of Daisy, packed with many cats. Daisy realized she could smell a foul stench coming from a sheltered cove at the side of the clearing. As she took in her new surroundings, a snowy white she-cat rose up and pelted across the snow to meet Lightstripe.

"Lightstripe, who are these cats?" the she-cat asked the grey tabby.

Lightstripe dipped her head. "Froststar, we were patrolling our border when we ran into these cats. They're not harmful, and they will make good apprentices for our Clan."

Froststar narrowed her eyes at the five cats in front of her. "They're not harmful, you say? How do you know they will not turn from LightningClan?"

Daisy padded to meet the white cat. As she was the oldest, she felt obliged to be the speaker. "Froststar, we have promised Lightstripe, Blackbird and Silentstrike that we will not betray LightningClan. We just want to be the best apprentices we can be, and give good service to your Clan."

When she had finished speaking, Daisy dipped her head as Lightstripe had done. What Froststar didn't know was that Daisy was telling her a lie. She had no idea what apprentices did for the Clan, and, judging from the blank stares from Jason, Ivy, Hazel and Lionel, they had no clue what Lightstripe was talking about either.

But they had to stay in LightningClan. Where else could they go, with no one to teach them how to catch food as a cat, and without the knowledge of how to build a shelter?

Hazel piped up. "Yes, yes, we promise. Could we please become apprentices and learn what to do for LightningClan?"

Daisy winced. Hazel sounded way too eager and disrespectful, and from Lightstripe's actions, Froststar seemed to be important in the Clan. Surely showing disrespect to the pure white she-cat was only another way to get all five cats thrown out into the freezing, cold snow?

But Froststar's eyes showed no anger; instead Daisy thought she saw a glimmer of amusement in the white cat's blue eyes.

"Alright, I'll tell the Clan right away," Froststar meowed to Blackbird, Lightstripe and Silentstrike. "All three of you can get some rest after the Clan meeting." All three cats nodded agreement.

All of them looked tired and weary, Daisy realized with a pang of sympathy. She remembered what Silentstrike said about the Clan starving, and now she knew the grey cat was right.

Froststar beckoned the five cats with her tail. "Come with me up on that rock," she mewed. Daisy followed Froststar's gaze across the clearing to a huge boulder with cracks in it, hanging over the clearing like a giant waiting to strike.

Froststar bounded up the rock with one leap; Froststar must have been eating more than the others, or she wouldn't have been this strong, thought Daisy.

Daisy followed Froststar up the rock; it was easy to climb and Daisy managed to reach the top in a matter of moments. She was closely followed by Ivy, then Hazel. The white she-cat could hear an encouraging murmur from Jason down below, while Lionel hissed something. Daisy was too far away to figure out what both ginger cats were saying, though she could imagine Jason urging Lionel to climb up the massive rock. Lionel had never been good with heights.

At last, with a pant and a gasp, Lionel appeared at the top. Jason followed him up, but stopped a little way down the rock. There wasn't enough space to hold all six cats, but Jason had found a small platform that would hold his weight just as well.

Froststar's jaws opened and let out a call. "Let all cats old enough to climb a tree join here beneath the Skyrock for a Clan meeting!"

The yowl echoed around the clearing, and soon cats began to appear from their dens. Young and old; spotted and striped; all kinds of cats showed up to hear what Froststar had to say. A few of them gave curious stares at the newcomers; Daisy tried not to feel daunted by their glittering eyes.

"Lightstripe, Blackbird and Silentstrike have just come back from a border patrol, and they found these five cats in our territory. It is their opinion that these cats will make worthy apprentices of LightningClan. From now onwards, these cats will train alongside our apprentices, and learn to hunt and fight."

"Our opinion?" Daisy could hear a murmur from along the gathered cats. "Both of us didn't even have a chance to say anything."

From her vantage point, Daisy could see Blackbird muttering away to Silentstrike. The black tom raised his head and met Daisy's gaze, resentment clearly showing in his eyes.

Daisy ignored him. Blackbird would just have to learn to get along with all five of them.

Froststar went on. "As leader of LightningClan, I call upon our warrior ancestors to look down on these cats. We pray for them to learn our ways quickly, and give good service to our Clan."

Turning to Daisy, Froststar asked, "What are your names? Tell me."

"I'm Daisy." She forced her voice not to shake.

"I'm Ivy." The tortoiseshell she-cat looked up at the leader with wide, scared eyes. Yet Daisy saw respect flickering in her eyes.

Ivy wasn't done. "Um… I heard what you said about fighting, and I'm not so sure I'm the type that likes combat. Could… could there be other things I can do as an apprentice?" she asked in a small voice.

Daisy cringed. Surely it wasn't acceptable to request something like this in front of all these cats, and on this high rock? What was this rock called anyway? The Skyrock? Daisy would have to remember that for the future.

Froststar only nodded. "Of course. When cats engage in combat, they always walk away with injuries. And we need a cat to heal those injuries. That cat is called a medicine cat, and they are able to take on an apprentice. These apprentices are called medicine cat apprentices. And, from now on, you will be known as Ivypaw."

Froststar's blue gaze searched the clearing for a while, probably looking for the medicine cat. "Duskwatcher," she mewed at last. "You will be Ivypaw's mentor. Pass on your ability to heal to this young cat." She motioned for Ivypaw to climb down the rock to meet her mentor.

A golden tom stood up, his dark blue eyes shimmering with shock and joy. He went over to Ivypaw and touched his nose to hers. Ivypaw seemed surprise, but she returned the gesture with a quick lick.

"And," Froststar went on, "this white she-cat will be known as Daisypaw. Lightstripe, you are without an apprentice since Fernpaw died from greencough. LightningClan honors your brave spirit and your determination to move on from her death, and we expect you to pass them on to your apprentice."

Daisypaw picked her way down carefully. How lucky she was! Daisypaw had only just known Lightstripe, but she felt that she already liked the gray tabby a great deal. Lightstripe had been friendly to the five cats when they first came, and now her eyes showed no smugness at being chosen to be a mentor; instead she found surprise and excitement in her eyes. Daisypaw touched noses with her, and Lightstripe led the white apprentice to somewhere more shaded.

"I'm Lionel," she heard her brother say. She looked up at the Skyrock to see the ginger tom crouched on the giant boulder, his fur fluffed up and eyes scared. But his voice was steady as he mewed, "I wish to be known as Lionpaw, since, well, it's closest to my name and I like the thought of being one."

Clearly Lionel didn't want the cats down below to know that he was afraid.

"Very well, Lionel-you will now be named Lionpaw. Grasspelt," she called into the throng of cats in the clearing, "You will be Lionpaw's mentor. Your courage has not wavered since the day you were made a warrior. Teach your apprentice well."

A brown tom padded forward to meet Lionpaw. The sun shone on his long fur, turning his pelt to flame. Reaching down to touch noses with Lionpaw, he murmured, "It's okay. I was scared too on the day I was made an apprentice. The Skyrock isn't called that for nothing, you know!"

Lionpaw purred with amusement, the fear fading from his amber eyes. He should have been called Flamepaw, thought Daisy. The ginger-furred apprentice looked like a brand of fire in the sunlight.

"And what is your name?" Froststar turned to Hazel. The brown she-cat's green eyes gleamed as she replied, "Hazel."

"Very well, Hazel. You will now be known as Hazelpaw." Froststar's gaze searched the gathered cats as she looked for a suitable mentor. Probably one that wasn't sick, thought Daisypaw. She remembered the stench of sickness coming from a den when she had first set paw in LightningClan's territory.

"Blackbird!" yowled Froststar.

Daisypaw started. Uh oh. Blackbird was a very aggressive cat, and the last cat Daisypaw wanted to be her mentor. Yet, she could not help wondering if Hazelpaw and Blackbird would learn to work together in the long run. Daisypaw remembered Hazelpaw's sharp tongue when all of them were still in human form.

"You have proved yourself a worthy warrior, Blackbird, and I expect you to pass on your skills to this apprentice." Hazelpaw sprang down to the snowy ground, paws skidding and sending snow over the nearby cats. Some of them purred with amusement; Hazelpaw bristled but said nothing.

Daisypaw spotted Blackbird coming Hazelpaw's way; his black fur outlined against the snowy landscape, he prowled across the clearing like a lion. He and Hazelpaw touched noses, rather reluctantly, and went to sit near a grey she-cat. Her belly looked ready to burst, and Daisypaw guessed she was pregnant.

"Young cat, what is your name?" asked Froststar, turning to Jason. The ginger tom narrowed his eyes as though he were thinking carefully. When he spoke, his voice ran out clearly.

"My name is Ginger."

Ginger? Daisypaw's eyes widened in surprise. Hazelpaw shot a questioning glance at her, but Daisy only shook her head. Who knew what was on Jason's mind?

"Ginger, from this moment on, you will be known as Gingerpaw. Silentstrike," she added, beckoning the grey she-cat, "you will be Gingerpaw's mentor. Your hunting skills are the finest in the Clan, and we expect you to pass on those skills to Gingerpaw."

The assembled cats instantly sprang into a chorus, shouting all five cats' new names over and over.

"Daisypaw! Hazelpaw! Lionpaw! Ivypaw! Gingerpaw!"

But Daisypaw's mind failed to notice the cheers surrounding her.

Why had Jason called himself Ginger?


	4. Mentors

Gingerpaw could feel the whole Clan's eyes on him as he leaped off the Skyrock. Some cats came over to congratulate him as he made his way to Silentstrike. Touching noses with her, he went to sit beside Blackbird and Hazelpaw.

"Hi, Gingerpaw," said Hazelpaw sarcastically. "What's up with you?"

Now that he thought about it, Hazelpaw and Blackbird were among the cats that had not risen to congratulate him. Hazelpaw wasn't expected to, of course, since she had been made an apprentice in the same Clan meeting. But surely Blackbird had no excuse, as well as the rest who did not say anything to all five apprentices? Gingerpaw wondered if Blackbird had even congratulated his own apprentice.

Blackbird stood up, as well as the grey she-cat near him. "I'm going with Wolfheart," he meowed, and padded away with the grey cat, their tails twined.

"What a responsible mentor you are!" Hazelpaw called after Blackbird.

Gingerpaw flicked his tail towards them. "And what's up with them?"

"Wolfheart and Blackbird are mates, and she's expecting his kits," mewed Hazelpaw. "I'm quoting him, by the way. I'm not sure what kits are. They're kittens, I guess. Are you an idiot, or just blind?"

Gingerpaw ignored the last part.

"Hi, Jason-no, Gingerpaw," called Daisypaw as she bounded over to join her younger siblings. "Talking about your new name, why did you call yourself Ginger?" she asked, lowering her voice to a whisper.

Gingerpaw could understand why she did that. It would be weird if five cats travelling together didn't even know each other's names.

"Yeah, why?" added Lionpaw, coming over to join him.

"I'll leave all of you to talk," said Silentstrike, rising up and heading off to somewhere in the snowy clearing. Gingerpaw's gaze followed her as she slipped inside a barely visible hole, piled with snow on top.

"Well?" came a new voice. Gingerpaw turned around to find himself face to face with the glittering amber eyes of Ivypaw.

Gingerpaw realized all of his siblings were waiting for an answer. "Okay, fine. I named myself Ginger since that's my colour. And it's better than being called Jasonpaw."

"Couldn't you have called yourself Jay then, since it's the first syllable of your name and cats are bound to know what jays are?" asked Lionpaw.

"Oh yes. I never thought of that," mumbled Gingerpaw, looking down at his paws.

There was a snort from Hazelpaw, and the sound of fur swishing against fur as Ivypaw covered her sister's mouth with her black and white tail. That was something unexpected of the tortoiseshell's mild character. Silencing Hazelpaw was suicidal.

Before Hazelpaw could do anything, much to the relief of four apprentices, a white she-cat bounded over. "Hi, I'm Moonlight," she meowed. "I'm LightningClan's deputy, which means I do things like arrange patrols and give advice to Froststar when she needs it. Patrols are groups of cats who either hunt or mark borders together. Those who hunt and carry prey back are the hunting patrols, and those who leave scent markers are the border patrols," Moonlight added hastily as Daisypaw gave her a curious look.

"Leave scent markers?" asked Lionpaw.

"Oh. We leave our scent by brushing against trees or bushes," The white cat informed him. "Froststar sent me to show you around the territory. She wanted to give your mentors some rest. With most of our cats sick, we need all the warriors right now."

"Warriors?" asked Hazelpaw. Her green eyes betrayed excitement and Gingerpaw knew she was eager to be one.

"Warriors," repeated Moonlight. "They are cats who hunt and fight for our Clan. You are all warriors-in-training, apprentices. Except for you, Ivypaw. I think Froststar has told you what you are to learn. Let me show you the medicine cat's den. I think Duskwatcher is inside mixing herbs."

With that said, the deputy turned and beckoned the apprentices forward. Gingerpaw took a tentative step. The snow was cold, and each time he put a paw in front, it sank deep into the snow. It didn't help that his legs were short and fluffy.

Daisypaw overtook all of her siblings with ease, tailing Moonlight without effort. Out of all the apprentices, her legs were the longest. Gingerpaw wondered if it had to do with the fact that she was the oldest among them, save for Moonlight, who was also running strongly.

Gingerpaw finally managed to get through the snow to Moonlight. Moments later, Lionpaw appeared beside him. "Third," he panted. Typical, thought Gingerpaw. His brother was so competitive.

Hazelpaw appeared next, followed by Ivypaw, who had the shortest legs of all.

"Inside this hole," directed Moonlight, disappearing into a dark hole covered by the snow. The apprentices followed, shaking their pelts.

The hole let in some sunlight, and Gingerpaw could see the entire underground den. There were leaves and stems all piled up on the ground with stones serving as dividers between individual piles of herbs.

Next to the piles, sat Duskwatcher. "Welcome to my den," he mewed, his eyes shining in the pale light. "Ivypaw, this will be your home from now on. See those leaves and stems there? Those are the herbs I use for healing."

The golden tom was talking mostly to Ivypaw, realized Gingerpaw. Well, he couldn't blame him for wanting to teach his apprentice.

"Duskwatcher, we have to get on if we want to explore the whole territory before sunset," mewed Moonlight gently but firmly. Duskwatcher didn't protest, and Moonlight led the group out.

"There's the warriors' den," she pointed with her tail. "And the apprentices' den's under that bush. Gingerpaw, Hazelpaw, Daisypaw and Lionpaw, you'll be sleeping there. Ivypaw'll sleep in the medicine cat's den."

Gingerpaw wasn't sure he liked the idea of that. All five of them had always been together.

"I'll show you the territory outside camp," mewed Moonlight, and took off again with her tail streaming behind her. Gingerpaw couldn't help but admire the way she ran without effort.

Outside, she skidded to a halt. "I can't take you on a full tour today," she mewed. "But I can point them out. It's sunset soon, and after that we wouldn't be able to see anything in the dark."

She proceeded to point with her tail. "There's the herb garden," she murmured. "It was left by some Twolegs. Duskwatcher takes good care of the plants, and he gets his herbs there. Oh, and there's the Great Hole. No cat knows how it got there, but it's a good hiding spot for mice and voles. So we can catch plenty of prey there in Greenleaf."

"Greenleaf?" asked Daisypaw.

"The hottest season. The best season for catching prey too," answered Moonlight. "It's also the time when most Twolegs are spotted. The pink creatures that walk on two legs."

She must mean humans, thought Gingerpaw.

Moonlight wasn't done yet. "After the Great Hole, there's a waterfall which is known as the Rushing Falls. According to Duskwatcher, it's the best place to find water mint, the best cure for bellyache," the white cat said to Ivypaw. The tortoiseshell nodded.

"And that tiny red spot there," added Moonlight, "Is the Forest of Blood. It's not really blood, but the plants there all have red flowers. Some plants have red leaves instead. It's also the best place to catch birds in Greenleaf, when all the flowers are blooming. And that stream, we call the Stream of Emotions since its water is so clear it reflects the sky so vividly. It's where we get water."

Gingerpaw looked towards the Stream of Emotions. The water reflected the sunset so clearly and beautifully. It was indeed a worthy name.

Moonlight seemed to notice the sunset too and mewed, "Oh, it's sunset already. Your mentors will show you the rest of the territory and actually let you go to those places. I'll report back to Froststar now. All of you should get some rest."

Gingerpaw followed Moonlight back to camp with Hazelpaw in front of him and Daisypaw behind him. His paws tingled with the prospect of exploring the territory the next day as he looked up at the quarter-moon beginning to appear in the sky, becoming clearer and clearer to make out as the sky dimmed around the fast-setting sun.


	5. Exploring

The following, day, Hazelpaw shook herself as she approached the Stream of Emotions with her siblings and their mentors, except for Duskwatcher. Wake up, she told herself crossly.

The bush she had slept under last night had actually been a little comfy. In fact, she had felt happy, comforted by the warmth of her siblings around her.

"Look, Hazelpaw! The Stream of Emotions looks so pretty!" exclaimed Ivypaw.

It was true. The stream reflected the morning sun, making the water look red and pink.

"Isn't that the Forest of Blood?" Lionpaw pointed with his tail towards a meld of large, leafless trees. Some plants in a certain area still had red flowers, probably the red dot the apprentices had seen yesterday.

"Yes, it is," answered Lightstripe from where she sat. Her ears were pricked, and her shoulders were tensed. "Keep an eye out for prey. We'll need it in this cold leaf-bare."

Gingerpaw shifted uneasily. "But we don't know how to hunt."

Ivypaw ignored all the cats with her. "Why's the lake still unfrozen even though it's so cold?"

Silentstrike bent down to lick the tortoiseshell's ear. "We don't know. It must be the gift of our warrior ancestors to allow RainClan to fish here always."

"RainClan?" Daisypaw had bounded over.

Meanwhile, Lightstripe was paying attention to Gingerpaw.

"You don't know how to hunt?" she asked, shocked. "I thought you could, since we found you in the forest. Well, I can show you. This is my best mouse hunting pose."

Lightstripe flattened her belly fur against the ground. Gingerpaw copied her.

"Pay attention to us if you want to learn how to hunt! You'll need to learn if you want to survive," the gray tabby yowled at the others.

Daisypaw blinked. "Sorry." She got down into a crouch as well. "Silentstrike was just telling me and Ivypaw about RainClan."

"RainClan?" Hazelpaw asked, crouching as well. Her brown fur intermingled with Daisypaw's white pelt.

"The Clan that lives across the river. According to Silentstrike, they like to eat fish and frogs." Daisypaw shivered. Hazelpaw could feel it.

"Who likes to eat frogs anyway?" murmured Daisypaw.

"What can you scent?" asked Lightstripe.

Blackbird snorted. "Nothing but the snow and the wind. And that stink of RainClan behind us."

Hazelpaw had almost forgotten about her mentor.

"Taste the air," Lightstripe advised all the apprentices.

Hazelpaw narrowed her eyes. "Taste?"

Grasspelt nodded. He opened his mouth. "Like this. Let the wind glide over your tongue."

All the apprentices followed. Lightstripe, Blackbird and Silentstrike did it too.

"I can scent all those things Blackbird listed," Lionpaw commented. "And something else."

Hazelpaw could identify that too. "It smells musty. But nice-smelling."

"Mouse!" Grasspelt's eyes flashed. He vanished among the trees, and reappeared soon with a small fuzzy creature dangling in his jaws.

"Blackbird," he called, pushing the mouse towards the black tom. "Would you take this to the fresh-kill pile?"

The black-furred cat nodded and took the mouse in his jaws; he sped away to the clearing soon after.

"I'm glad he's gone," muttered Daisypaw. Hazelpaw nodded agreement, while the remaining warriors exchanged relieved looks. Clearly they had planned this.

The rest of the apprentices didn't react. They probably hadn't heard Daisypaw.

Ivypaw, for one, was definitely too far away to hear. "Look at all these fish in the water," Hazelpaw heard her whisper.

"Pay attention, Ivypaw," Lionpaw told her, gently swiping a paw across the tortoiseshell's fur.

"Like I said, this is my best method for hunting mice," Lightstripe called.

She stalked stealthily through the leafless trees, looking as if she was hardly putting any weight on her gray paws. Then, she waggled her haunches and sprang onto a mound of snow, scattering the white, cold stuff everywhere.

The gray tabby shook her fur. "Brrrr, it's cold."

"Did you get that?" Grasspelt mewed to Daisypaw. Hazelpaw knew why. Lightstripe was Daisypaw's mentor, and the white cat should have been paying attention.

Apparently, she had. Daisypaw copied Grasspelt, parting her jaws. She closed her mouth and her eyes flashed.

Quickly, she got into a crouch and advanced on something. As Daisypaw had done, Hazelpaw let the wind glide over her tongue, and tasted the scent of mouse once again. At once, the brown she-cat spotted the thin creature nibbling at seeds underneath a barren tree.

Hazelpaw's sister sprang and landed on the mouse, looking triumphant as she held the mouse down with her paw. Claws emerged, and the brown creature let out a final shriek before it was cut off abruptly.

Silentstrike nosed the white she-cat. "Well done. Your first kill."

Lightstripe looked delighted to have her apprentice catch her first prey. Daisypaw's siblings crowded around, pressing against her and whispering congratulations.

"Let's see if you can find your own prey," Grasspelt suggested.

All five apprentices dashed off in five different directions. Hazelpaw could hardly breathe, and not just from her run. She was about to catch her first prey!

.

 

Ivypaw bounded along the snowy forest, pausing every few steps to scent the air. Nothing stirred except for the occasional gentle shaking of branches as the wind pushed them.

"I'm not sure Ivypaw should be hunting for prey," growled a voice suddenly. "She's supposed to be a medicine cat."

Ivypaw turned to see Blackbird talking to Duskwatcher. The golden tom responded, "Medicine cats don't just heal, you know. We have to learn the basic skills of a warrior to defend ourselves in an emergency. And besides, let her have some fun. It's not often we get to hunt."

Blackbird snorted. But his eyes immediately shone with concern, as though he had thought of something.

"When are Wolfheart's kits due?" he asked worriedly.

Duskwatcher remained calm. "They're due soon, probably any day now. She's carrying at least two kits," he added as he saw Blackbird open his mouth once more. The black cat immediately closed his jaws.

"When she begins kitting," Duskwatcher went on, "I'll bring Ivypaw with me. It'll be good experience for her."

Ivypaw continued to try to catch some prey, but it seemed that all of the animals the Clan were used to eating had gone to hide.

"Ivypaw, the others have long gone," Duskwatcher called from his sitting place. "Let's go back. I need to take care of those sick cats. "Remember them?"

Ivypaw's fur began to bristle. Her heart clenched as she thought of those poor, heaving scraps of fur, coughing uncontrollably. Her sleep that night had been disturbed by their painful-sounding coughs.

Her tail drooping, Ivypaw followed Duskwatcher back to their den. The ill scent of sickness greeted them, followed by a chorus of racking coughs and sneezes.

An apprentice sat up. "Hi," she mewed weakly.

"Bluepaw…"

The blue-gray apprentice coughed and then lay down in her nest. Ivypaw felt a surge of pity overtaking her, threatening to sweep her away.

The two cats had become friends quickly, on Ivypaw's first night in this den.

"I'll get the catnip," Ivypaw promised, scared for her friend. Any of the warriors in the den could lose their life now, and Bluepaw was no exception. All of them were suffering from greencough, according to Duskwatcher. Ivypaw was sure it was the cat equivalent of chest infection.

Catnip was the only known cure in this strange world. Back in the human world, doctors would help to get rid of the problem, but now, no technology was available. It made Ivypaw miss her world even more. She couldn't bear to see people, or cats, like this.

Bluepaw's mentor, Mintleaf, raised her head wearily. "Is that catnip?" she asked. "Good."

Mintleaf had stopped coughing: the catnip from the nights before had helped, including the nights before Ivypaw had even seen this den.

A grey-and-white tabby rose and stretched. "I feel better after a long rest in this den," he murmured. "I hope I get to go back to the warriors' den soon."

"You're not fit until I tell you so, Yarrowstem," Duskwatcher told the tabby. "But you should be fine."

Ivypaw picked up some catnip and headed in the direction of the cat she thought needed it most: Cherryleaf. Her eyes were bright with fever-too bright.

With so much snow, it was hard to find much of the cough-healing herb. Ivypaw always gave it to Cherryleaf first. She was the sickest out of all the cats, and might lose her life soon.

The young brown cat could barely breathe; the den was full of the sounds of the rasping of her uneven breaths. Ivypaw felt deeply sorry for her, but at this point she didn't think anything could save the brown cat.

She helped the rest of the cats in the clearing swallow their medicine. Then, feeling exhausted, Ivypaw curled up in her mossy nest and fell asleep.

She was awoken by a loud yowl. As she stood staring around in her confusion and sleepiness, Blackbird sped inside. "Duskwatcher!" he wailed. "Wolfheart's kitting!"


	6. Kitting

"Wolfheart. Take deep breaths now…" Duskwatcher commanded.

"Here," Ivypaw urged Wolfheart, nosing a stick towards her. "Bite on this when the pain comes."

The tortoiseshell saw Duskwatcher giving her a nod, and a sense of pride welled up in her.

Wolfheart's body convulsed again. Her legs twitched and she let out a chilling wail. "You're almost done, Wolfheart," Ivypaw murmured desperately, trying to comfort her. Wolfheart had given birth to two kittens since she first started kitting. Or kits, as the Clan called them. Two other she-cats were now licking them, warming them up and helping them to breathe evenly.

The blue-gray queen paused from her vigorous licking. "This kit seems to be out of danger," she mewed. "How's Wolfheart doing?"

"She's doing fine, Calmwater," Duskwatcher meowed calmly.

The other queen stopped licking her kit too. Both kits were now mewling pitifully, crying for milk and their mother. "There, there, your mother's here," she soothed the kits. One was black, his pelt a copy of Blackbird's, while the other was a black and white tabby. Both kits pummeled their mother's belly, trying to get hold of Wolfheart's milk.

This only seemed to make Wolfheart experience more pain, and the stick in her jaws splintered. A third kit appeared, a copy of her mother. The blue-gray queen's crow-coloured paws rushed forward to warm the kit up, licking its fur and getting its blood flowing.

Calmwater sniffed the two kits suckling their mother. "The black one's a tom, and the tabby's a she-cat."

Duskwatcher looked at the kit the blue-gray queen was licking. "That one's a she-cat too," he informed Wolfheart.

The blue-gray queen nudged the kit to Wolfheart. "Look, Wolfheart. You have three healthy kits," she mewed, her eyes bright with delight.

"Thank you, Crowfoot. And you, Calmwater," murmured Wolfheart as a soft expression came over her face. It was obvious that she had already grown attached to them.

"May FallenClan grant that they will grow up into fine warriors!" mewed Calmwater.

"FallenClan?" Ivypaw asked.

"The warrior ancestors Froststar spoke of at your apprentice ceremony," Duskwatcher told her. The golden tom glanced at Calmwater. "Don't worry. Leafkit is healthy. Especially since you have more milk to spare, without three more kits fighting for it," Duskwatcher mewed to the blue-gray queen. She nodded sadly, not even responding to his optimism.

Ivypaw knew that her kits, Smallkit, Rosekit and Shadowkit, had died, due to a lack of milk. Leafkit was the only one to survive, she presumably being the strongest. The apprentice felt deeply sorry for Calmwater. She couldn't imagine separating a mother and her offspring.

A black tom peeked in through the entrance to the nursery. "Is she okay? How many kits are there? Are they alright? Are they healthy? I heard a wail. Wolfheart isn't…"

Duskwatcher cut him off. "If you want to see your kits, you can do better by actually coming in and not just standing there," he meowed. "Wolfheart has had three healthy kits. Let's hope her milk keeps coming," he added with a sideways glance at Calmwater.

Three kits poked their heads in. "Can we come in now?" asked a light brown kit, her rasping voice breaking off into a series of coughs. As if on cue, the other kits started coughing as well.

"We need to give them their catnip, and then some poppy seeds so they'll sleep," Duskwatcher told Ivypaw. "We're going back to our den," he called to the cats surrounding Wolfheart.

Blackbird didn't respond, and Ivypaw wondered if he had even heard. Calmwater, Crowfoot and Wolfheart flicked their tails as a response.

As Ivypaw exited the nursery, she heard Blackbird proclaim: "The black one will be called Beetlekit, the tabby will be called Shadekit, and the white one will be called Runningkit."

Her paws felt light, and her mind whirled with happy thoughts. Another happy family, she told herself.

However there was another thought of a certain family: her siblings, and Mom and Dad. Ivypaw didn't want to think about it anymore-the horrible thought that she might never be reunited with them. Though Ivypaw liked her current home, she still longed to be at her house again, with her ever-friendly parents, sarcastic Hazel, bossy Daisy, peace-loving Jason and teasing Lionel.

Somehow, she felt sure it would never be that way again.


	7. Intruders

"Take that!" Beetlekit squealed. Wolfheart's kits were strong and healthy, not yet affected by the leaf-bare coldness. Hazelpaw watched as Beetlekit batted the ball of moss over to Shadekit. The tabby bit it fiercely, shaking her head to side to side.

"Mange-pelt!" snarled the kit, releasing the moss. "Run back to your FallenClan-forsaken meadow, BreezeClan warrior!"

Hazelpaw had learned about the five clans living in this strange place. IceClan was always the strongest in leaf-bare: their ancient warriors had worked out ways to scoop prey out of their hiding places. However, after the cold season, they would lose some of their plumpness. The IceClan cats were used to scooping prey out of their burrows and did not know how to stalk prey. Often, their prey escaped, even if it was greenleaf.

RainClan was the clan that lived near the Stream of Emotions. They scooped fish and frogs out of the water as prey, and had great agility in the water. The river prey did not always die in the cold, and the RainClan cats could always find sufficient food from the stream that bordered their territory.

BreezeClan was the fastest clan, and as Shadekit had said, they lived in a meadow. In greenleaf, the sight would be truly beautiful, according to Blackbird. BreezeClan hunted rabbits, and anything that would stray onto the meadow. The clan was also the closest to the herb garden. The BreezeClan medicine cat, Thorneyes, found it very convenient, according to Duskwatcher.

NightClan cats skulked among shadows, and hunted prey in darkness. Said to as sly as a fox, the warriors of NightClan were advised to be avoided. Hazelpaw couldn't see why. Just because cats stuck to darkness, didn't mean that they were evil.

LightningClan, her own clan, was a large forest clan. They were second to BreezeClan in terms of speed, and also in terms of distance to the herb garden. LightningClan seemed to be the most agile in the forest as well.

Suddenly, Hazelpaw heard a cry coming up from beyond the camp walls. Runningkit, Shadekit and Beetlekit instantly stopped their play.

The lithe black shape of Tailwind appeared moments later. She paused, looked around the camp, and finding only Hazelpaw and the kits, sped over to the brown cat. "Come quick!" panted Tailwind, breathless. "We caught three intruders inside our territory!"

"Intruders?" echoed Hazelpaw, stupefied.

"Yes," meowed Tailwind impatiently. "Come and see!"

Without waiting for an answer, Tailwind sped off, her black tail lashing back and forth. Hazelpaw ran after her.

"Wait!" squeaked Runningkit, bounding over to Hazelpaw. "Where're you going? Can we come?"

Runningkit's littermates followed her. "Please? Please?" they chorused, circling Hazelpaw.

Hazelpaw bit back an annoyed hiss. "No, you can't," she told the kits. "Wait till you're an apprentice."

Without looking back, she ran after Tailwind. She had lost the black she-cat, but her scent lingered, telling Hazelpaw which way to go. When at last she found Tailwind, the she-cat was standing with four other warriors, this morning's border patrol. Moonlight was among them, and was talking to Tailwind.

"Why didn't you fetch Froststar?" the deputy demanded.

The tip of Tailwind's ebony-black tail twitched. "Froststar wasn't there."

Hazelpaw noticed three strange cats in the middle of the warriors. Yarrowstem, back from the medicine cat's den, was questioning them. "What are you doing on our territory?" he demanded.

Two of the intruders flinched, but the other one, a white tom hardly bigger than an apprentice, replied, "We were bored, so we decided to explore. Momma wasn't watching us, so we left her side and started to explore your territory." His eyes shone. "The forest is fun!"

Sundapple, a golden warrior, nudged Yarrowstem. "They're hardly six moons old," he told the black and white cat. "They won't do any harm."

This time, all of the intruders' eyes blazed.

"We're not kits!" meowed one of them, a black she-cat. "We're ten moons old!"

"What's going on?" Hazelpaw whirled around to find Lightstripe and Daisypaw running over to her.

"There're three cats on our territory," Hazelpaw informed them.

Yarrowstem was sniffing the three kits. "Well, you're all pretty small for ten-moon-old cats."

This time, the gray-and-black tabby answered. "Well, it is leaf-bare," she pointed out. "Or had you forgotten?"

The black she-cat whirled around to face her brother. "What mousebrains they are!"

The members of the patrol started to bristle; though Hazelpaw noted that the pure white tom didn't respond, just stared at Daisypaw and Lightstripe.

"You're just as mousebrained if you decide to leave your mother in this kind of weather!" Grasspelt snapped.

"Mousebrained?" Hazelpaw whispered to Daisypaw.

"They mean not very smart," Daisypaw told her. Her fur began to prickle with unease. "Why's that white cat staring at me like that?"

As though on cue, the white tom looked away. Trying to soothe the awkwardness between her sister and the intruders, Hazelpaw asked the tom, "What's your name? Are these your littermates?"

The white tom blinked. "Oh. My name's White. My sisters are Night and Sky. Night's the black one, and Sky's the tabby."

Before Hazelpaw could reply, Sundapple mewed, "Let's escort them off the territory. Their mother must be worried."

White looked like he was about to protest, but then Sky flicked his ear with her tail. "Come on, White. Leave these mousebrains and let's go home."

Grasspelt, Moonlight and Sundapple led the way out of their territory. White shot one despairing glance back at the territory and followed the warriors and his sisters. Hazelpaw got the feeling that he wanted to stay here. Even then, the white cat kept glancing back, almost as if he couldn't bear to leave.

But couldn't bear to leave what? Hazelpaw thought. She had noticed that White's glances were mostly aimed at the departing figure of Daisypaw. Even as Hazelpaw trailed after her sister, she could feel White's burning green gaze on her pelt, until the leafless trees hid them from his sight.


	8. First Gathering

The moon rose high in the dark sky. Gingerpaw darted around, sniffing everything in excitement.

Lightstripe rested her tail on his shoulder. "Hey, careful there," she teased. "You don't want to use up all your energy before you even meet the other Clans. It's your first Gathering."

Gingerpaw shook himself. "I just want to check out this place, that's all."

Lightstripe's whiskers twitched with amusement. "Go join your littermates. You're far behind."

Putting up a short sprint, Gingerpaw bounded ahead.

Daisypaw spun around. "Gingerpaw! You scared us. And..."

Daisypaw broke off as Froststar raised her tail. "That means you have to stop," whispered Moonlight, also at the head of the patrol.

All the apprentices stopped moving about.

Froststar looked back at her Clan, and then leaped down onto the slope, running along like the wind. Her patrol of cats followed her close behind.

Gingerpaw was feeling out of breath by the time they arrived in the place where the Clans gathered every full moon: the Eternal Garden.

Legends said that the flowers in this place were extremely beautiful to look at and gave off a sweet scent. It served as a perfect place where cats could gather under the one-night truce. Since it was the coldest season now, the branches were bare. Gingerpaw thought about how these branches would look like when whatever the cats called summer came.

Gingerpaw sniffed the air. Instantly he scrunched up his face in disgust. "What's that yucky smell?"

Moonlight tasted the air. "That's NightClan," the deputy told Gingerpaw. "Looks like they're the first. Why don't you go talk to some of the warriors? But don't give too much away," she warned.

Gingerpaw nodded meekly and looked around for his siblings. He spotted Hazelpaw, Daisypaw and Lionpaw talking to two NightClan apprentices. They looked small and skinny; the effects of the harsh winter-slash-leaf-bare were showing.

"Hi, guys," he mewed as he joined his siblings.

Lionpaw flicked one ear. "Hey, bro. We were just telling Stormpaw and Ravenpaw here why Ivypaw wasn't with us."

Gingerpaw thought about all the sick cats in the medicine den Ivypaw was currently taking care of. Duskwatcher had trusted her to the job alone.

"LightningClan's lucky to have at least some healthy apprentices," piped up the pure-black tom. "I'm Ravenpaw, and this is my brother Stormpaw."

"What has LightningClan been feeding you? How come you look so much plumper than the warriors?" asked Stormpaw suspiciously.

"What goes on within LightningClan is none of your business," retorted Hazelpaw, speaking like she had been Clanborn.

"Don't mind Hazelpaw," Daisypaw added hastily. "She loves to be rude to everyone."

There was a sudden yowl and soon more cats streamed into the snowy garden.

"RainClan's here," Ravenpaw informed the apprentices.

A ginger cat bounded over to them. "Hi, Ravenpaw and Stormpaw!" she mewed. Turning to Gingerpaw and his siblings, she added, "I haven't seen you four before. Is this your first Gathering? I'm Rushpaw!"

Bones jutted out of her pelt and Gingerpaw could see her ribs. But her gaze was friendly and curious.

"Hello. Yes, it's our first Gathering. Name's Daisypaw. Here are my littermates, Gingerpaw, Lionpaw and Hazelpaw," meowed Daisypaw, pointing with her tail to each cat as they were named. Looks like even Daisypaw has accepted the 'littermate' story, thought Gingerpaw.

"IceClan and BreezeClan aren't here yet," observed Stormpaw quietly.

As if on cue, a new patrol of cats rushed into the snow-covered garden. Gingerpaw tasted the air. "Their scent's like snow and grass combined," he told them.

Rushpaw twitched her whiskers. "And that's BreezeClan. Speak of a warrior and he comes."

Gingerpaw watched as yet another fresh wave of cats streamed in. "That's IceClan, I guess."

The gray cat at the head of the patrol veered away to join Froststar and three other cats up on some sort of fence. It certainly wasn't like any kind of fence Gingerpaw had ever seen. The fence had multiple layers with gaps in between.

When the gray cat reached the fence and hoisted himself up, a brown cat gave a commanding yowl. A hush fell over the cats listening.

"Brownstar wants to talk," whispered Rushpaw.

Gingerpaw noticed Moonlight among the four cats sitting at the bottom of the fence. She made eye contact with him, and then blinked, as if telling him not to be afraid of Brownstar.

Brownstar's voice rang out among the leafless trees. "NightClan is well. We have two new apprentices: Stormpaw and Ravenpaw!"

The garden was filled with yowls of congratulation. Most of the cats had jumped to their paws and were calling out the apprentices' names. Beside Gingerpaw, Ravenpaw ducked his head, while Stormpaw puffed out his chest. Rushpaw gave Ravenpaw an encouraging lick.

Brownstar waved his tail, and the cats were quiet again. "We had a bout of greencough, but our medicine cat, Spottedshade, was able to stop it before it spread too far." Even so, he still had a troubled look on his face. Gingerpaw guessed that a couple of cats were still sick. One of the medicine cat's, who he presumed to be Spottedshade, uncomfortable expression backed up his theory.

Gingerpaw glanced at the NightClan apprentices, who kept their gazes willingly on the ground.

Rushpaw leaned in closer to him. "I hate to say it, but Silverwhisker, NightClan's deputy, isn't here," she muttered. "He's probably sick."

Brownstar ended his speech, and the cat who spoke up was the gray tom from before. "Graystar," Stormpaw informed Gingerpaw.

Graystar's voice rang out confidently. "IceClan is doing well. Only a few of our warriors and queens are sick."

Well, seeing as they had brought the largest patrol, Gingerpaw wasn't surprised.

Graystar went on. "We have two new apprentices, Dawnpaw and Badgerpaw."

Again with the yowls of congratulations. When they died down, Graystar continued. "We also have three new warriors: Brightpath, Snowspirit and Rosestem."

Once again, the garden erupted with the calls of the listening cats: "Brightpath! Snowspirit! Rosestem!"

The three mentioned warriors licked their fur in embarrassment. Graystar stopped talking, replaced by Froststar.

"We have five new apprentices, Gingerpaw, Hazelpaw, Daisypaw, Ivypaw and Lionpaw," she yowled authoritatively.

The warriors erupted into cheers yet again, the warriors of LightningClan yowling the loudest. Froststar waved her tail and went on. "Unfortunately, Ivypaw is not here with us. Her duty kept her from coming to the Gathering."

Some cat yowled, "Does this mean Ivypaw is a medicine cat apprentice?"

Froststar flicked her tail-tip. "Well, yes, she is. Now, I have nothing more to say."

Froststar flicked her tail towards another gray tom, and he spoke up. "BreezeClan is doing fine, overall. But I am very sad to report the death of an elder. Darksky is dead."

Wails of grief rose from the listening cats. Gingerpaw had never met Darksky, but he still felt forlorn at the loss of a life.

"That was Stormstar meowing," Ravenpaw told him, his voice anguished. "I heard Darksky was a good friend of my mother."

Stormstar closed his jaws, and this time a white cat replaced him. What was peculiar about the white cat's pelt was that it had gray patches.

"We will grieve along with BreezeClan, Stormstar," the white cat told the gray cat.

Rushpaw was about to speak again, but then Stormstar's eyes narrowed and he mewed, "The thanks of BreezeClan go to you, Whitestar."

"I was about to tell you who he was," murmured Rushpaw.

One of the BreezeClan warriors turned around. "Rushpaw, I expect the apprentices would appreciate it if you'd stop talking for once!"

"Sorry, Redfire," muttered Rushpaw mutinously.

Whitestar's eyes glittered. "I am sorry to say that our previous deputy, Newtfur, has stepped down. Our new deputy is Willowheart."

The watching cats yowled out both of the cats' names: "Willowheart! Newtfur!" Some cat whispered, "I was wondering why Willowheart was sitting at the bottom of the Skyfence instead of Newtfur."

Whitestar's commanding yowl rose above the trees. "Now, the Gathering is at an end."

He jumped off the Skyfence first, closely followed by Brownstar. Froststar and Stormstar followed more slowly, and Graystar was the last.

Tailwind thrust her way through the crowd of cats towards Gingerpaw. "Gingerpaw, Daisypaw, Hazelpaw, Lionpaw!" she called. "Time to go! Froststar's waiting for us."

Saying a quick goodbye over his shoulder towards Rushpaw, Ravenpaw and Stormpaw, he dashed away to join Froststar's patrol.

"So, how was your first Gathering?" Grasspelt asked Gingerpaw as soon as he reached.

Gingerpaw waved his tail excitedly. "It was fun!"

"Good, good," he purred.

Froststar raised her tail, signaling her patrol to follow her. Instantly, she bounded up the slope and away with the rest of the patrol following close behind, tails streaming out behind them. Gingerpaw took one last look at the Eternal Garden, and chased after the rest of the patrol.


End file.
